Taylor Swift’s Vienna Statement Is Incredibly Disappointing

I’m being gaslighted by Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift finally broke her silence over the Vienna terror plot that caused her three shows’ cancellation, and honestly, I am very much disappointed in her.

“Having our Vienna shows canceled was devastating. The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows. But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives. I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together. I decided that all of my energy had to go toward helping to protect the nearly half a million people I had coming to see the shows in London. My team and I worked hand in hand with stadium staff and British authorities every day in pursuit of that goal, and I want to thank them for everything they did for us. Let me be very clear: I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows. In cases like this one, ‘silence’ is actually showing restraint, and waiting to express yourself at a time when it’s right to. My priority was finishing our European tour safely, and it is with great relief that I can say we did that.” She wrote.

This whole statement is very disappointing and problematic. She used her voice to spread the wrong message. She made it about herself and the hate she was getting for not speaking up instead of showing love and care to the fans who traveled from all over the world to see her.

I fully understand why she wanted to remain silent until the end of the European leg of the Eras Tour, and I think it was the right thing to do. There were still almost half a million people who attended the tour in London, and it was the best thing she could do to keep them safe. But what about the 170000 Vienna Swifties?

If Taylor was so sure that staying silent (or “showing restraint”) was the right thing to do, she shouldn’t have been so overprotective of herself. What happened to haters gonna hate, and baby, I’m just gonna shake? Why did she have to prove herself to be right even though it was not the right time or place to do it?

She said she was devastated and felt a new sense of fear. She is not the only one. I cried for hours, I grieved for days. I was devastated, and I still am because this was my dream. I waited over a year for this dream to come true, but it didn’t come true. For me, it wasn’t just another show out of 150 shows, it was my show. It was my moment and my time to be happy and dance and scream my lungs out. And all I got from Taylor was one sentence. One. Sentence.

“I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together.” Not even an I’m sorry? Maybe an I love you or thank you for doing that? This statement should have been about us. About how much she loved the fans and how incredible the crowds would have been and how thankful she is to us. That was what this statement should have been.

Eventually, her overall message was, “I will speak about whatever I want whenever I want. That is the right thing to do, so leave me alone. This is not silence; this is just restraint.”

So, Taylor practically came out against people who criticized her (which is a legitimate thing to do, because freedom of speech is a thing), and told them “You are making me feel guilty about remaining silent? Well, I’ll make you feel guilty for speaking against me.” That is called gaslighting. And as someone who actually felt guilty today, I can confirm that I was indeed gaslighted by Taylor Swift, whether she meant it or not.

After everything I’d been through in the past two weeks, all I wanted was to know she cared about me and the other Vienna Swifties who traveled from all over the world and spent so much money and energy just for her. And this is what I got.

Also, after Taylor’s statement was released, suddenly Swifties started coming out against the people who criticized Taylor. They called us Fake Swifties and said we are ungrateful. To all of those people, respectfully, shut up and go cry about it. Before you start coming out against people who went through such a terrible event, try and think about what you would have done if you were in their position. Imagine spending so much energy and so much money, imagine waiting for your dream to come true for over a year just for it to blow up. I have EVERY RIGHT to say whatever I want about how Taylor dealt with the situation because, unfortunately, it was rare, I was there, and I will always remember this feeling of pain all too well. Calling someone a “Fake Swiftie” just because he or she went through something terrible and had certain expectations from Taylor is pathetic and disgusting.

Taylor is a grown-up woman, she doesn’t need you to protect her. She makes mistakes and she chooses how to deal with the consequences of her actions. I can be mad and disappointed in her and still be a Swiftie. I can publicly say whatever I want and I have every right to feel the way I feel. Taylor didn’t handle this situation the right way. Vienna Swifties had been gaslighted and hurt many times, and now Swifties think they have the right to come out against us for criticizing Taylor for it. Well, some of these people (including Taylor herself, who is overprotective and insensitive) need to touch some grass and leave us alone.

You try to go through something like this and then have the whole world turning on you. Believe me, it doesn’t feel good.

I truly apologize for how angry this post is, but I am so sick of this whole situation. I think that it would have been better if Taylor had just stayed silent. Now I feel gaslighted and angry, not to mention that the entire Swiftie community is coming out against the Vienna Swifties and their supporters. And trust me, it really really sucks.